MECHANISM AND CHEMISTRY OF RESPIRATION 215 



the mouth and by the use of the lips and tongue. The lips 

 govern all sounds involving m, b and p, the teeth and tongue 

 sounds involving d, I, n and t; while the tongue, by its 

 position at back or front, governs to some extent the pro- 

 nunciation of every word one utters. 



The readiness with which one makes himself understood 

 is dependent more upon the clearness of his enunciation 

 than upon the loudness of his voice. Some public speakers 

 shout very loudly and yet are difficult to understand; others 

 speak quietly, but are heard easily. The difference is largely 

 due to the degree of distinctness with which they pronounce 

 the consonants at the beginnings and endings of words. The 

 loud shouting of the vowel sounds renders one's voice less, 

 rather than more intelligible. If one pays a little attention 

 to the proper enunciation of the consonant sounds he will 

 have no difficulty in being understood either in public speak- 

 ing or private conversation. 



